Festooning device for a loop drying machine



April 16, 1957 Filed Nov. 22, 1954 R. c. PARKES 2,788,968

FEsTooNING DEVICE: FOR A Loo? DRYING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet l i16 T a 60 INVENTOR. PAZ/H C PAPA/E5 April 16, 1957 R. c. PARKES 2,788,968

FESTOONING DEVICE FOR A LOOP DRYING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22, 1954 3 Sheets-Shee. 2

INVENTOR. /PAZ /Jf/ C P4P/(Ef April 16, 1957 R. c. PARKl-:s

FESTOONING DEVICE FOR A LOOP DRYING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 22, 1954 INVENTOR. )WM/0H C P4P/(5 BY 27% TTO/P/VEK United States Patent FEsTooNlNG DEVICE Fon A Loor nnvrNG memo:

Ralph C. Parkes, Glenside, Pa.

Application November 22, 1954, Serial No. 47(3,389

2 Claims. (Cl. 271-23) This invention relates to a festooning device for a loop dryer of the type shown in my Patent No. 2,449,667 of September 21, 1948, entitled Drying Machine, in which the cloth or other material to be dried is formed into loops which depend from rolls or poles moving horizontally through a drying chamber.

One object of the invention is to produce an improved festooning device of the type set forth.

In the patent referred to a weighted piece of canvas or the like was so arranged as to clamp the material against a roll while a loop is being formed so as to clamp the material against a roll while a loop is being formed so as to measure or predetermine the length of the loopto be formed. This arrangement is quite satisfactory for many types of cloth but in the drying of sheer fabrics, or of plush, or other pile, or nap, fabrics, it is desirable, or perhaps necessary, that nothing shall press against the surface of the fabric while it is passing through the drying chamber.

It is therefore a further object of this invention to produce an improved festooning device for a loop drying machine in which the cloth is pressed against its supporting roll without any physical contact between the surface of the cloth and any solid object.

The drying air introduced into a drying chamber produces a certain amount of turbulance which makes it dfiicult, if not impossible, for the light, sheer fabrics, which are fed into the drying chamber at a relatively high speed, to fall, at the desired high speed, between successive poles, to the predetermined extent so as to produce loops of uniform lengths suspended from said poles. It is therefore a still further object of the invention to produce an improved festooning device for a loop drying machine in which the lighter fabric is forced to move downwardly at high speed, and to the desired eX- tent, without any physical contact between the fabric and any solid object, .so as to insure the formation of loops of uniform length.

According to my invention l provide an orice for directing a continuous stream of air under pressure, such as l2` to 2O ounces p. s. i., against the material during the formation of the loop, and means for moving the oriiice synchronously with the movement of the fabric and of the pole on which a loop is being formed so as to insure the formation of smooth loops of predetermined length on the successive poles.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification and the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a loop dryer provided with an attachment embodying my in vention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, partly in elevation and partly in section, looking in the direction of line 2--2 on Fig. l certain parts being omitted.

Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary and of diagrammatic views showing the manner in which my festooning attachment operates.

ice

In Fig. 1 of the drawing there is only shown the feed, or material receiving, end of the drying chamber of a loop drying machine. This includes a frame 10 for sup porting lthe operative parts, a casing formed of suitably insulated walls 12, and endless sprocket chain 14 for propelling loopsupporting poles 16, sprocket wheels 18 for propelling said chain, and feed rolls 20 for feeding the cloth 22 downwardly, or in the direction of arrow 24 in Fig. l. The loop dryer shown also includes a guide board 26 which extends the width of the drying chamber and the bottom edge 27 of which guides and smooths lthe cloth as shown in Figs. l and 3 and'prevents the cloth from touching, or being retarded by, the roll which is approaching from the left as indicated at C. The guide board 26 is pivotally suspended as at 28 and is adjustably secured in` position by means of a pin 30 which slidably engages a slotv32, in an arm 33 which is secured at 34, to a frame 10 of the machine, all vas shown in Fig. 3.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the poles 16 are carried by shafts 36 which are provided at their ends with rollers 38 adapted to ride on tracks 40, which are suitably secured to the frame 10.

Heated air, or other drying medium, for drying the cloth 22 is blown downwardly into the loops, as indicated by arrow 23 in Fig. l, from suitable nozzles, not shown, to which heated air is supplied by blowers, also not shown.

Except for guide board 26, the parts heretofore described form no part of the invention and have only been described to facilitate understanding of the invention.

The present invention also resides in providing an elongated plenum 42 which has an elongated nozzle, or oritice 44, which preferably extends the full length of the poles .so as to blow air across the entire width of the fabric. The plenum 42 is mounted for rotation about a horizontal bearing 43 which is parallel to the axes, or to the plane of movement, of the poles through the drying chamber.

The plenum has secured to it, as by strap 47, a guide board 48 the upper edge of which is pivoted to the frame l0 of the machine, as at 49, and the bottom edge 50 of which serves to push the fabric against the bottom edge 27 Vof guide board 26 with every clockwise movement of the plenum from the position of Fig. 5 to the position of Fig. 3. This positions the fabric for the beginning of a new loop as best shown in Fig. 3. Guide member 48 is preferably made of a light gauge, corrugated sheet so as to combine lightness and rigidity. The plenum 42 is supplied with air under the desired pressure through one or more tubes 48 which lead from the discharge sides one, or more blowers 50'. The tube 48 and the blower S0', `are preferably mounted for vertical adjustment on the frame 10 of the machine as at 52.

Plenum 42 is normally biased in clockwise direction, or to the position of Fig. 3, by adjustably mounted weights 4.6.

In order to cause the orifice 44 to move in counterclockwise direction so as to follow the loop from its inception as in Fig. 6 until it is completely formed, as in Fig. 5, plenum 42 is provided with fixed pendant arms 56 the lower ends of which carry rollers 58 adapted to ride on and drop oif the shafts 36 of successive poles 16 as they move in the direction of arrow 54 in Fig. 3.

The operation is as follows:

From Fig. 5 it will be seen that a loop has been completely formed and that rollers 58 are about to fall off the shaft 36 of the pole 16 which is at position A in this figure and are about to come into engagement with the shaft of the next succeeding pole D, to assume the position illustrated at position B. Further movement of arsaaes Y Y the poles to the right causes rollers S to fall on? the shaft of the pole at .position A in Fig. 5, so that'orice 44 and arms 56 now swing, in pendulum fashion, to the position of Fig. 3. In moving from the position of Fig. 5 to the position .of Fig. 3, orice 44 will'pass directly over the .next adjacent pole over which the next loep is to be formed and. will blow air against vthe fabric to press it against the pole, preparatory Vto the beginning of a new loop, as shown by the broken linepositions in Fig. 6 which shows t'ne beginning of the formation of a loop. This preventsthe Vfabric from slipping to the right viewed in Fig. 6. Before orice 44 reaches the clochwise position of Fig. 3, it wiil have passed through the solid Vline position of Fig. y6 in which air is blown against the downwardly moving fabric at a point to the left of the pole in Fig. 6 to expedite the formation of a new loop. As the fabriccontinues Vto move downwardly, and as tr e poles continue to move to the right, the parts will progressively pass through a large number of intermediate positions, one of which is shown in Fig, 3 and another of which in Fig. 4, until the parts again reach the position of Fig. 5 in which the 'parts are about to begin a new cycle. It will be appreciated that the drawings are highly diagrammatic because of the diiculty of capturing the exact positions ofthe various synchronously and rapidly moving parts. For example, in Fig. 3, the bottom edge 50`of guide member 48 should, 4in an exact scale drawing, be'shown spaced a bit from adjacent edge 27 of fixed guide board 26. But, as stated, each cycle is completed in such a short time that it is diflicult to repre-sent these positions accurately without a very large number of views. Since the operation is understandable from the views shown it is believed unnecessary to show any others. Y

It will be seen that movement of orifice 44, in conjunction with the movement of the cloth and of the poles, produces loops of uniform length and keeps the opposite walls of the loops smooth and spread apart. This is of special importance in the handling of light fabrics which, due to turbulence within the drying chamber, tend to float about. By my invention such light fabrics are pressed against the pole and Vare forced down so as to form a loop. Y Y

lt will be noted that no solid object presses against the upper surface of the fabric during the drying of the fabric, that the device described can readily be incorporated in existing machines as well as in machines of future manufacture without materially increasing the cost or weight of the machines.

Y By synchronizing the movement of the poles and by controlling the spaces between the poles and the lengths of arms 56 andthe distance between the axis 43 of rotation of orifice 44 and the plane of movement of the poles, the action of the device can be controllably varied according to the type offabrc, the rate of drying and other variables so as to produce loops of the desired uniform length.

What I claim is:

1. A fe'stooning device for a loop drying machine of the type which includes a drying chamber, a number of Y movement of said poles and projecting into 'the path of movement of the incoming cloth, a nozzle extending substantially the width of said poles and located above the Y path of movement of said poles, means for blowing air under pressure through said nozzle, a movable guide member carried by :saidnozzle and` extending in the direction of said fixed guide member the length of said movable guide being substantially equal to the length of said poles, means mounting said nozzle and the mov-v abie guide carried thereby, for rotation about Vhorizontd axes parallel Yto the path of movement of said poles, a weight carried by and normally. operative to move, said nozzle in a clockwise direction to a substantially vertical position in which said nozzle registers with the point at which the cloth is initially fed to begin the formation of a loop onan approaching pole, and in which position the bottom edge of said movable guide member presses the cloth against the bottom edge of said fixed guide member to guide and smooth the incoming cloth, means carried by said nozzle and activated by the movement of successive poles therebeneath for moving said nozzle in a counterclockwise direction whereby said nozzle willV follow, and will blow air on each loop of cloth from its inception, until said loop is suicieutly formed, said nozzle being returned vto said vertical po'- sition by said counterweight.V

2. i`he structure recited in claim l in which the means for moving said nozzle in counterclockwise direction includes a pendent arm carried by said nozzle, a roller carried by said arm and adapted to ride on successive poles as they pass below said nozzle, and in which said counterweight is so arranged that, as said roller rides on one of said poles, said counterweight progressively moves to `a higher position and so that when said roller is disengaged from said pole, said counterweight'falls to a lower position. Y

References Cited in the le of this patent Y UNITED STATES PATENTS 

